Czech Krumlov

No trip to the Czech republic is complete without a visit to Český Krumlov. The town is listed among UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and there is no overestimating this small town with its beautiful castle that is one of the best sights in the Czech republic.

We recommend you not to put off the trip there, but rather rent a RUNWELL car and go on this fascinating journey into the Middle Ages.

The Vltava River, being a most important trade route for the whole Bohemia in the past, makes three fancy turns flowing across Český Krumlov. The foundation of the town dates back to the 13th century, and since that time a lot of outstanding people have been its landlords or residents – the emperors Rudolph II and Ferdinand II, Julius Caesar of Austria, a maniac and schizophrenic, who nearly killed his mistress and was constantly bursting into aggression, and several rich and influential European families – the Rosenbergs, the Eggenbergs and the Schwarzenbergs (who possessed the castle till 1945).

It is a 180 km (110 miles) ride from Prague to Český Krumlov, and you can make this trip fascinating as well by renting a car and stopping at some interesting places on your way.

Just 50 km (31 miles) from Prague, there is a famous castle Konopiště founded in the 13th century, which played an important role in the Hussite Wars. Having been ravaged by the Swiss, the castle was bought by Franz Ferdinand d’Este, an heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne. He ordered to have the castle rebuilt and equipped with a shooting range and several hunter’s halls filled up with Franz Ferdinand’s own trophies. Apart from stuffed animals, you can also find an arms collection in the endless castle halls in Konopiště. Franz Ferdinand, however, fell victim to bloodiness – he died as a result of assassination committed by Gavrilo Princip, which marked the beginning of the 1stWorld War.

We highly recommend visiting the castle of Červená Lhota, close to a small town Jindřichův Hradec, that is 75 km (46 miles) from Konopiště on the way to Český Krumlov. The castle is known for the color of its walls and its somewhat bloodthirsty history. It was originally built white and looked like a gingerbread house. Once a beautiful princess, who lived in the castle, decided to commit suicide – either out of boredom or after failure in love. On second thought, already falling down, the princess decided she wanted to stay alive and tried to catch hold of the wall. However, she didn’t succeed and left a trail of blood on the gingerbread walls. No matter how hard they tried, people couldn’t neither wash it off nor paint it over with white paint. So they decided to paint the walls red and, for the sake of lightness, made a hedge maze in the garden of Červená Lhota, which you can enjoy on your way to Český Krumlov.

Hluboká nad Vltavou is another place worth visiting on the route from Prague to Český Krumlov. It is a 50 km (31 miles) ride from Červená Lhota. The magnificent gothic castle is situated on an 89-meter (292-feet) high cliff and has 140 rooms, 11 towers, 2 courtyards, a greenhouse, stables and a beautiful botanical garden full of rare plants, with its own system of ponds.

Rented a car in Prague from Runwell for our vacation. This was after seeing terrible reviews for another well known brand we had reserved a car rental through. Cancelled that reservation and went with Runwell. What a breath of fresh air... They are customer friendly and amazingly easy to work with. Pick up was straight forward. The car was what we expected, it ran great, no issues.
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